for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see: www.ajatavada.com/[A brief note of explanation – the other Blog noted below is entitled "Non-Duality & Science", & so the more Science oriented pages (from what I like to think of as a "comic book") have been posted there, while other chapters have been posted here. Science is a mental discipline that attracts some worthy admirers & participators. Some of these, too few, are good prospects for the ancient teaching introduced here in many ways. Otherwise certain Science topics like the Anthropic Principle, reinforce the general Theism which is a good idea in this materialistic age. A few other topics in Science, such as the Copenhagen II – Max Born – Von Neumann – Wigner model of Quantum Mechanics, are worthy entries to the extent that they introduce Consciousness into the physical Sciences. All that aside, the real topic here is the pinnacle as Advaita Vedanta, Non-Duality – that pinnacle being Ajata Vada, No–Creation. The great Teachers of the same include Sri Shankara & Sri Ramana Maharshi. Both would support Theism in general & adaptations of Vedanta,such as Vishishtadvaita Vedanta – Qualified Non-Duality, for those not making headway in Ajata Vada, their present course of growth might be better served with a temporary involvement in Qualified Non-Duality. The scientist who perhaps best expresses the influence of Qualified Non-Duality in Science, for instance, would be the quintessential "New–Age" Quantum Physicist, Amit Goswami. And so to that source, & the Quantum Activism he currently advocates [with a 1–course degree program], along with more than a half-dozen good books & former participation in the controversial What the Bleep movie, to him I extend enthusiastic endorsement, for that Qualified Non-Duality described in the context of Science. I do not stand so much "with him", as much as nearby saluting his good work. Again, as here, the goal is inserting Consciousness into Science & "saving the World."]

for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see: www.ajatavada.com/[A brief note of explanation – the other Blog noted below is entitled "Non-Duality & Science", & so the more Science oriented pages (from what I like to think of as a "comic book") have been posted there, while other chapters have been posted here. Science is a mental discipline that attracts some worthy admirers & participators. Some of these, too few, are good prospects for the ancient teaching introduced here in many ways. Otherwise certain Science topics like the Anthropic Principle, reinforce the general Theism which is a good idea in this materialistic age. A few other topics in Science, such as the Copenhagen II – Max Born – Von Neumann – Wigner model of Quantum Mechanics, are worthy entries to the extent that they introduce Consciousness into the physical Sciences. All that aside, the real topic here is the pinnacle as Advaita Vedanta, Non-Duality – that pinnacle being Ajata Vada, No–Creation. The great Teachers of the same include Sri Shankara & Sri Ramana Maharshi. Both would support Theism in general & adaptations of Vedanta,such as Vishishtadvaita Vedanta – Qualified Non-Duality, for those not making headway in Ajata Vada, their present course of growth might be better served with a temporary involvement in Qualified Non-Duality. The scientist who perhaps best expresses the influence of Qualified Non-Duality in Science, for instance, would be the quintessential "New–Age" Quantum Physicist, Amit Goswami. And so to that source, & the Quantum Activism he currently advocates [with a 1–course degree program], along with more than a half-dozen good books & former participation in the controversial What the Bleep movie, to him I extend enthusiastic endorsement, for that Qualified Non-Duality described in the context of Science. I do not stand so much "with him", as much as nearby saluting his good work. Again, as here, the goal is inserting Consciousness into Science & "saving the World."]

for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see: www.ajatavada.com/[A brief note of explanation – the other Blog noted below is entitled "Non-Duality & Science", & so the more Science oriented pages (from what I like to think of as a "comic book") have been posted there, while other chapters have been posted here. Science is a mental discipline that attracts some worthy admirers & participators. Some of these, too few, are good prospects for the ancient teaching introduced here in many ways. Otherwise certain Science topics like the Anthropic Principle, reinforce the general Theism which is a good idea in this materialistic age. A few other topics in Science, such as the Copenhagen II – Max Born – Von Neumann – Wigner model of Quantum Mechanics, are worthy entries to the extent that they introduce Consciousness into the physical Sciences. All that aside, the real topic here is the pinnacle as Advaita Vedanta, Non-Duality – that pinnacle being Ajata Vada, No–Creation. The great Teachers of the same include Sri Shankara & Sri Ramana Maharshi. Both would support Theism in general & adaptations of Vedanta,such as Vishishtadvaita Vedanta – Qualified Non-Duality, for those not making headway in Ajata Vada, their present course of growth might be better served with a temporary involvement in Qualified Non-Duality. The scientist who perhaps best expresses the influence of Qualified Non-Duality in Science, for instance, would be the quintessential "New–Age" Quantum Physicist, Amit Goswami. And so to that source, & the Quantum Activism he currently advocates [with a 1–course degree program], along with more than a half-dozen good books & former participation in the controversial What the Bleep movie, to him I extend enthusiastic endorsement, for that Qualified Non-Duality described in the context of Science. I do not stand so much "with him", as much as nearby saluting his good work. Again, as here, the goal is inserting Consciousness into Science & "saving the World."]

Saturday, July 28, 2018

Reality 106

Self-Knowledge [further continued]:

Bondage is only Ignorance, or error in understanding. One does not attain Self-Knowledge due to Ignorance about the True Nature of the Self & adherence to false conceptions about the Self. The Ignorance makes one feel bound, & the adherence to false notions maintains the Ignorance, yielding the apparent solidity & false continuity of Illusion. Both Ignorance & the tendency to adhere to it are destroyed by Self-Inquiry to know the Truth of the Self.

Sri Shankara declares that just as trees on the bank seem to move when one is in a moving boat, so “transmigratory existence” (life in a Waking World, repeating like nightly dreams, but rather as “physical” Re-incarnation) seems to be true to one who mis–identifies the Self with the Mind.

Thus, when the Mind “moves”, one thinks that the Self (like the stationary trees) “moves”. When the Mind is still, one assumes the Self is still. Because the modifications of the Mind are pervaded by the reflected light of Consciousness, with the qualities of Reality & Identity borrowed from pure Being, one assumes that the Self is identical with the Mind & identifies oneself with those modifications. Thus one imagines, “my thoughts, my state of mind or being, my experiences, etc.” The Mind, or the Ego, is objective, appearing by the light of pure (absolute non-dual)Consciousness alone. Pure Consciousness is the Absolute & is directly realized as existing as such when the “this”, or the objective portion, falsely attributed to it is negated.

Ignorance, or Illusion, is merely a superimposition. By “superimposition” is meant the imagined placement of some attributes, that do not belong to the Self, upon the Self. The basis of the superimposition is real. That basis is pure Existence, pure Consciousness. The superimposed is not a reality in & of itself, but is only a product of Imagination, the result of Ignorance.

It is like the snake imagined to be present when there is only a discarded rope in dim light. The snake is not real & was not really born. But in Imagination, the snake seems to be there, & as long as one is convinced that the snake is there, the true rope is invisible. If one removes that Illusion with the light of Knowledge, he sees the rope alone, as it is, which has been the only reality the entire time. The snake in the analogy represents all that is attributed falsely to the Reality of the Absolute Self, such as the World, the Body, Mind & its conceptions & tendencies, as well as Ego.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through www.jpstiga.com

for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see: www.ajatavada.com/[A brief note of explanation – the other Blog noted below is entitled "Non-Duality & Science", & so the more Science oriented pages (from what I like to think of as a "comic book") have been posted there, while other chapters have been posted here. Science is a mental discipline that attracts some worthy admirers & participators. Some of these, too few, are good prospects for the ancient teaching introduced here in many ways. Otherwise certain Science topics like the Anthropic Principle, reinforce the general Theism which is a good idea in this materialistic age. A few other topics in Science, such as the Copenhagen II – Max Born – Von Neumann – Wigner model of Quantum Mechanics, are worthy entries to the extent that they introduce Consciousness into the physical Sciences. All that aside, the real topic here is the pinnacle as Advaita Vedanta, Non-Duality – that pinnacle being Ajata Vada, No–Creation. The great Teachers of the same include Sri Shankara & Sri Ramana Maharshi. Both would support Theism in general & adaptations of Vedanta,such as Vishishtadvaita Vedanta – Qualified Non-Duality, for those not making headway in Ajata Vada, their present course of growth might be better served with a temporary involvement in Qualified Non-Duality. The scientist who perhaps best expresses the influence of Qualified Non-Duality in Science, for instance, would be the quintessential "New–Age" Quantum Physicist, Amit Goswami. And so to that source, & the Quantum Activism he currently advocates [with a 1–course degree program], along with more than a half-dozen good books & former participation in the controversial What the Bleep movie, to him I extend enthusiastic endorsement, for that Qualified Non-Duality described in the context of Science. I do not stand so much "with him", as much as nearby saluting his good work. Again, as here, the goal is inserting Consciousness into Science & "saving the World."]

Friday, July 27, 2018

Reality 105

Self-Knowledge [further continued]:

The Absolute Reality, which is Infinite & Eternal, can be realized so that one abides in that Reality, as it is always. To thus realize is to "Abide" in lasting Peace, complete spiritual Freedom, & perfect Happiness which is spiritual Bliss. The way to do this is to know oneself, for if one knows oneself as one really is, that in itself is indeed the Absolute & not what one might have mistakenly conceived oneself to be.

Regardless of whatever be the spiritual practices in which one may engage, eventually he or she is brought to this: the importance of knowing one's True Nature as it is. Self-Inquiry which is characterized by asking within oneself "Who am I ?", is the keen Discernment of what one is & the relinquishment of ignorant mis–identifications.

Reality is ever existent. If one perceives something that has appearance & disappearance, it is but a temporary thing. If one examines the experience of that, one sees that it is not Existence itself, but I guys for it, a mis–perception of it, or an Illusion based upon Reality, but not Reality itself. Existence does not come or begin & go or cease to exist. To know Reality as it is, one must cease to regard as real what are only mis–perceptions or Illusions.

The Self is the Reality, ever–existent, Unborn, Imperishable, Limitless, & Formless. The Self is identical with the Absolute. If one does not experience the Self is identical with the Absolute, this is due to lack of Self-Knowledge. What prevents Self-Knowledge is one's own adherence to Ignorance about the self. If the Ignorance ceases, Self-Knowledge shines, & one's Being is left in its TrueState. Ignorance consists of mis–identifications regarding oneself. With mis–identification, & seems to be 2, an Absolute Self & an individual self. The Non-Dual Teachings of Self-Knowledge are intended to remove that false differentiation dissolution of mis–identifications. Mis–identification starts with the assumption of being an individual entity, a separate "I", & consists of defining this "I" in a variety of Delusive ways.

Thereupon follow the mis–identifications with the Mind or thought, with the Life Energy or prana, with the Senses, with the Body, & then with various things in the World or the relation to them. From these there arise all kinds of modes of Mind, motion, & Bondage of all sorts that create Suffering.

When one recognizes that the source of Happiness & Peace is within, that Suffering is not produced by external factors (such as other people, objects, & circumstances or their absence) but is created by one's own Delusion, he commences a Path to Self-Knowledge. Proceeding to actual Self-Inquiry within oneself as to what one is, is the practice.

Listening to Teachings pertaining to Self-Knowledge, Reflecting upon them, & then deep Meditation to be absorbed in their essential meaning – these support this Self-Inquiry to know the Self. [shravana, manana, nididhyasana] Eliminating Ignorance, or mis–identification by such Self-Inquiry results in Self-Realization, which is freedom from Delusion regarding the Self, or Reality.

One should know that the Self is not made of matter & is therefore not the Body. The idea of being a Body occurs only in one's Mind. All Delusions are created & sustained only in the Mind.

Delusions are not physically caused. The Body does not produce Ignorance & Ego & such. So one should quest within the Mind itself, transcending it while destroying its Illusions. Spiritual practice is with the Mind and addresses the Mind so that Consciousness alone remains. To see Illusion as Illusion, Ignorance as only Ignorance, is sufficient & most effective for clearing the way to experience Self-Knowledge.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through www.jpstiga.com

for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see: www.ajatavada.com/[A brief note of explanation – the other Blog noted below is entitled "Non-Duality & Science", & so the more Science oriented pages (from what I like to think of as a "comic book") have been posted there, while other chapters have been posted here. Science is a mental discipline that attracts some worthy admirers & participators. Some of these, too few, are good prospects for the ancient teaching introduced here in many ways. Otherwise certain Science topics like the Anthropic Principle, reinforce the general Theism which is a good idea in this materialistic age. A few other topics in Science, such as the Copenhagen II – Max Born – Von Neumann – Wigner model of Quantum Mechanics, are worthy entries to the extent that they introduce Consciousness into the physical Sciences. All that aside, the real topic here is the pinnacle as Advaita Vedanta, Non-Duality – that pinnacle being Ajata Vada, No–Creation. The great Teachers of the same include Sri Shankara & Sri Ramana Maharshi. Both would support Theism in general & adaptations of Vedanta,such as Vishishtadvaita Vedanta – Qualified Non-Duality, for those not making headway in Ajata Vada, their present course of growth might be better served with a temporary involvement in Qualified Non-Duality. The scientist who perhaps best expresses the influence of Qualified Non-Duality in Science, for instance, would be the quintessential "New–Age" Quantum Physicist, Amit Goswami. And so to that source, & the Quantum Activism he currently advocates [with a 1–course degree program], along with more than a half-dozen good books & former participation in the controversial What the Bleep movie, to him I extend enthusiastic endorsement, for that Qualified Non-Duality described in the context of Science. I do not stand so much "with him", as much as nearby saluting his good work. Again, as here, the goal is inserting Consciousness into Science & "saving the World."]

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Reality 104

Self-Knowledge [further continued]:

The direct path of Knowledge is that in which one discriminates, one renounces the actions of the Body & Mind. He frees himself from the ideas of being a Performer, Experiencer, Thinker, etc. He abides free of outer sensing & inner conceiving activities, & thus knows the Self to be that. The practice of the Teaching of "Thou Art That" is the Self-Inquiry: "Who am I ?"

When the Knowledge of the Self which is the Absolute, is not can rejected by the false notions that one lacks Bliss & has desires, that one is not consciousness & is an "activity", and that one is not Existence, but instead is a bound entity, then Knowledge is firm.

The body is not the Self, the Self is not the Performer of action. Action is unrelated to Self-Knowledge & in no way can bring about the Liberation that this Knowledge alone yields. Yet the holy Sage who knows this will always be manifesting what is true good & beautiful anyway. With love for all beings, knowing all to be himself, endowed with equanimity & imperturbable peace, with no self-interest, he is ever engaged in the highest good, whether he appears active or still. His honesty derives from the Truth itself, his Love from the Indivisible Nature of Existence, his Peace from the immovable absolute, & his kindness & care from the perfect Fullness. For one who knows about Liberation in the Non-Dual Teaching of Identity with the Absolute Self, how would it be possible to engage in conduct that would be otherwise ?

Nonetheless, it is never possible to determine the State of a realized Sage from the outer appearances of the Body with which he has no identity whatsoever. The Sage has gone beyond the illusions of life and death, never to return to that which never really was. The Sage is serene in & as the Absolute, & abides as the Eternal. Whatever is done, he does nothing. Whatever is said he remains silent. Whatever is thought, he remains unmodified. The Sage has known himself, & he himself is what he knows.

You are that. Realize the Truth of this by Self-Inquiry. Supreme Knowledge, Consciousness is Brahman. Attain Liberation by Knowledge to realize that True Knowledge is the Eternal, Supreme Consciousness itself. This Self is Brahman. Self With Self-Inquiry: "Who am I ?" & realize pure Existence as 1–without–a–2nd.

I am Brahman. Abide in the NaturalState of the Real Self, in the State of Identity with no other "I". Abide as that, which when known, leaves no other thing to be known. Abide as that, the Happiness of which leaves no thing else to be desired. Abide as That, which when realized, leaves no other Reality but itself. Abide as That which is the Self, & which alone exists eternally, for it is That which alone is.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through www.jpstiga.com

for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see: www.ajatavada.com/[A brief note of explanation – the other Blog noted below is entitled "Non-Duality & Science", & so the more Science oriented pages (from what I like to think of as a "comic book") have been posted there, while other chapters have been posted here. Science is a mental discipline that attracts some worthy admirers & participators. Some of these, too few, are good prospects for the ancient teaching introduced here in many ways. Otherwise certain Science topics like the Anthropic Principle, reinforce the general Theism which is a good idea in this materialistic age. A few other topics in Science, such as the Copenhagen II – Max Born – Von Neumann – Wigner model of Quantum Mechanics, are worthy entries to the extent that they introduce Consciousness into the physical Sciences. All that aside, the real topic here is the pinnacle as Advaita Vedanta, Non-Duality – that pinnacle being Ajata Vada, No–Creation. The great Teachers of the same include Sri Shankara & Sri Ramana Maharshi. Both would support Theism in general & adaptations of Vedanta,such as Vishishtadvaita Vedanta – Qualified Non-Duality, for those not making headway in Ajata Vada, their present course of growth might be better served with a temporary involvement in Qualified Non-Duality. The scientist who perhaps best expresses the influence of Qualified Non-Duality in Science, for instance, would be the quintessential "New–Age" Quantum Physicist, Amit Goswami. And so to that source, & the Quantum Activism he currently advocates [with a 1–course degree program], along with more than a half-dozen good books & former participation in the controversial What the Bleep movie, to him I extend enthusiastic endorsement, for that Qualified Non-Duality described in the context of Science. I do not stand so much "with him", as much as nearby saluting his good work. Again, as here, the goal is inserting Consciousness into Science & "saving the World."]

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Mind & Happiness 63

When a desire rises, our Mind becomes agitated, & that agitation obscures the Happiness which is our true nature. When no desire rises, as in Deep Dreamless Sleep, our Mind remains perfectly inactive, & hence we experience not even the least un-happiness. Therefore, if we were perfectly contented – free of all desires & fears – our Mind would remain perfectly calm, & hence we would experience in full the absolute Happiness that always exists in the very core of our Existence.

In reality, in the innermost core or depth of our Existence we are always perfectly calm & happy, no matter how much our surface Mind may be agitated. All our agitation & un-happiness is experienced only by our Mind, & not by our Real Self – our fundamental & essential Self-Consciousness, which is conscious only of our own unqualified Existence, "I exist".

Our essential Existence always remains calm & peaceful, just like the eye of a storm. No agitation of our Mind can ever disturb it even in the least, because it is perfectly non-dual self-Consciousness, & hence it knows nothing other than "I exist". No matter what our Mind may be doing, we are – that is, we exist, & we remain essentially as our own Self-Conscious Existence, "I exist". No amount of doing can ever prevent us from Existence.

Existence Being is what underlies all forms of doing, just as Consciousness underlies all forms of knowing, & Happiness underlies all forms of Love or desire. Our essential Existence is Consciousness, & our essential Consciousness of our Existence is Happiness. Thus our essential Existence, our essential Consciousness & our essential Happiness are all one & the same reality – the One Absolute Reality, which is our True & Essential Self.

Relative existence & non-existence, relative Consciousness & un-consciousness, & relative Happiness & un-happiness, are all only a distorted reflection of our own absolute Existence, Absolute Consciousness & Absolute Happiness. Because we are distracted by all the superficial activity of our Mind, we overlook our own essential Existence, Consciousness, & Happiness, which are our own True Self or Fundamental Nature. And because we overlook this Essential & Fundamental Nature of our own True Self, we mistake our Self to be the limited Consciousness that we call our "Mind", through which we experience our Absolute Existence, Consciousness, & Happiness only in their relative forms as the pairs of opposites: Existence & non-existence, Consciousness & un-consciousness, & Happiness & un-happiness.

Therefore, if we wish to experience complete & perfect Happiness, free from even the least taint of un-happiness, all we need to do is to know our own True Self as it really is. So long as we experience our self as anything other than absolute Existence, Consciousness & Happiness, we cannot experience true & perfect Happiness. So long as we continue to seek Happiness outside our own Essential Self, we will continue to experience only relative Happiness & un-happiness.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through www.jpstiga.com

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Mind & Happiness 62

Throughout our Waking & Dream states, our Mind experiences an unceasing turmoil of desires. One desire or another is always raging in our Mind. All our mental activity is driven only by desire. Every thought that rises in our Mind is impelled by some desire, & every desire is a form of thought. Desire & thought are therefore inseparable.

In the absence of desire, as in Deep Dreamless Sleep, there is no thought or mental activity, & in the absence of mental activity, there is no desire. The more intensely we experience a desire, the more active & agitated our Mind becomes. Whenever our Mind is active, that activity obscures to a greater or lesser extent the Happiness that always exists within us. The more intense our

mental activity becomes, the more densely our natural Happiness is obscured. Therefore, since all our mental activity is caused only by our desires, is it not clear that desire is the sole cause of all our un-happiness ?

Whatever form of un-happiness we may experience, we can always trace its origin back to some desire that exists in our Mind. The raging of countless petty desires in our Mind is usually so intense that we fail to notice how they obscure our natural Sense of peaceful Happiness, & how the fragments of Happiness that we experience in the midst of all our restless mental activity result only from certain moments of temporary slackness in the intensity of that activity.

Often so many desires are active in our Mind that we are not fully aware of most of them. That is, because our Mind is usually so busy thinking so many different thoughts in such rapid succession, it often fails to notice all the desires that are niggling away inside it. Only when a certain unnoticed desire is fulfilled & we experience the resulting feeling of relief or pleasure, do we actually become aware how strong that desire was & how much it was irritating our Mind.

For example, when our Mind is busy with some activity that engages its entire attention, we may not notice that we have a strong urge to go to the toilet. Only when we go to the toilet & experience the resulting relief, do we actually become aware how strong our urge to do so was. The satisfaction of our unnoticed desire to relieve our self may be so intense that for a while we consciously feel a positive pleasure arising from our sense of great relief. In this way, we sometimes become aware of one of our desires, & discover how strong it is & how much uneasiness or agitation it causes in our Mind, only when we experience the Happiness that results from the perhaps quite accidental satisfaction of it.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through www.jpstiga.com

Friday, July 20, 2018

Mind & Happiness 61

At any single moment our Mind can attend to only one thought. Therefore each of our thoughts can rise only when our previous thought has subsided. However, since our thoughts rise & subside in rapid succession, we feel that we are thinking of several things simultaneously. That is, just as the speed at which the frames of a movie film are projected on a cinema screen is so rapid that we are unable to perceive the gap between 2 consecutive frames, & hence we see a continuous moving picture, so the speed at which our thoughts rise & subside is so rapid that we are unable to perceive the extremely brief gap between 2 consecutive thoughts, & hence we experience a continuous & unbroken flow of thoughts.

However, though our thoughts rise & subside so rapidly, there is nevertheless a limit to the number of thoughts that can rise in our Mind during each fraction of a second, because at any precise moment only one thought can be active. Hence, in order to rise to the surface of our Mind, each of our many latent thoughts or dormant desires must await a suitable gap between the subsiding & rising of our other thoughts or desires.

Therefore, as soon as a relative quiet occurs in our mental activity due to the satisfaction of one of our desires, many of our other desires will clamor to rise in its place. This process of some thought or other rising as soon as a relative quiescence occurs in our mental activity can be clearly perceived by us if we deliberately try to quiet the activity of our Mind by some form of meditation. Whenever we try to avoid thinking of one thing, the thought of some other thing will rise in our Mind. The more we try to quiet our mental activity, the more vigorously other thoughts will arise to take the place of the thoughts we are trying to avoid.

All such thoughts that arise in our relatively quiet Mind are impelled by our desire to obtain Happiness from things other than our own essential self. So long as we mistake our self to be this limited form of Consciousness that we call our "Mind", we will experience desire to obtain those things other than our self that we believe will make us happy, & to avoid those things that we believe will make us unhappy, & so long as such desire persists, our Mind will continue to think one thought after another.

Whenever our Mind becomes tired of this restless activity of thinking innumerable thoughts, it subsides temporarily in Deep Dreamless Sleep. But from such Deep Dreamless Sleep it will soon be roused once again by its dormant desires, & will thereby experience either a Dream or a State such as our present one, which we take to be a State of Waking. Therefore, until we put an end to our mistaken identification of our self with our Mind, which is the root of all our desires, we can never put an end to all our desires, & hence we can never remain without either thinking of things other than our essential self, or instead falling temporarily into the state of Deep Dreamless Sleep.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through www.jpstiga.com

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Mind & Happiness 60

Shiva, the Absolute

All our efforts to attain Happiness will continue until our all-consuming desire for perfect Happiness is permanently satisfied. We know from experience that this fundamental desire of ours is never completely satisfied in spite of all our efforts to obtain Happiness from external objects & circumstances. Nothing & no person in this material World can ever make us perfectly happy. However happy we may sometimes feel our self to be, our Happiness is nevertheless imperfect & short-lived, & hence we continue to search restlessly for more Happiness.

Every effort that we make through our Mind, speech & Body – every thought, word & deed of ours – is impelled only by our desire for Happiness & our fear of un-happiness. Because of our mistaken conviction that Happiness & un-happiness both come from external objects & circumstances – a conviction that is so strong & deep-rooted that it persists in spite of all our intellectual understanding that Happiness actually comes only from within us, & that un-happiness is caused only by the agitated activity of our Mind – we unceasingly direct our attention & efforts towards those external objects & circumstances.

Whenever we experience something that we desire, the agitation of our Mind caused by that desire subsides temporarily, allowing us to experience for a short while the Happiness that always exists within us. However, because we fail to recognize that the Happiness that we thus experience already exists within us, we always wrongly associate it with the objects of our desire, & thus we have developed a strong & deeply rooted conviction that we obtain Happiness from people, objects & circumstances outside our self.

Because of this strong conviction, we continue to desire those things that we believe to be potential sources of Happiness for us. Our desires can therefore never be satisfied fully, because whenever we experience a little Happiness from the satisfaction of one of our desires, our fundamental desire for complete & perfect Happiness impels us to seek greater Happiness by attempting to satisfy more of our desires.

Therefore, the Happiness that we experience when one of our desires is fulfilled is very short-lived, because some other desire immediately arises in our Mind. That is, we experience such Happiness only in the temporary period of calm that results from the satisfaction of one of our desires, & such a period of calm creates an opportunity for some other desire to arise. Innumerable desires exist in our Mind in a dormant or latent form, & each one of them is awaiting a suitable opportunity to rise to the surface of our Mind.The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through www.jpstiga.com

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Mind & Happiness 59

Unless & until we know what we really are, we cannot be free from our desires, which arise only due to our mistaking our self to be what we are not. By fighting our desires we can never get rid of them, because we who try to fight them are in fact the cause, source & root of them. That which seeks to fight our desires is our Mind, which is itself the root from which all our desires spring. The very nature of our Mind is to have desires. Without desires to impel it, our Mind would subside & merge in the Source from which it originally arose. Therefore the only way to conquer our desires is to bypass our Mind by seeking the Source from which it has arisen. That Source is our own Real Self, the innermost core of our Existence, our fundamental & essential Consciousness "I exist".

Our Mind is a limited form of Consciousness that arises within us, & that mistakes a particular Body to be itself, & all the other objects that it knows to be other than itself. In fact all that our Mind knows, including the Body that it mistakes to be "I", are only its own thoughts, products of its own power of imagination. Therefore nothing that is known by our Mind is actually other than itself. However, because it mistakes the objects of its imagination to be other than itself, it feels desire for those objects that it thinks will contribute to its Happiness, & aversion for those objects that it thinks will detract from its Happiness.

So long as we experience otherness or Duality, we cannot but feel desire for some of the things that we see as other than our self & aversion for some of the other things. Because we mistake a particular Body to be our self, certain things are necessary for our survival & our comfort in that

Body & certain things are a threat to our survival & our comfort in it. As a general rule, therefore, we feel desire for those things that contribute to our bodily survival & comfort, & aversion for those things that threaten our survival or detract from our comfort.

However, even after we have secured all the things that we require for our bodily survival & comfort, we still do not feel satisfied. Because we fear for our Future, we strive to acquire more than we actually require at present. Because of our restlessness caused by our concern for our future Happiness and well-being, we seldom enjoy the present moment to the fullest, but instead think constantly about what we may or may not enjoy in Future.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through www.jpstiga.com

Monday, July 16, 2018

Mind & Happiness 58

A clear illustration that many have probably experienced occurs if we are watching a good film or an entertaining program on television while eating a meal, no matter how tasty & to our liking that meal may be, we will hardly notice its taste & we will experience no particular pleasure in eating it. After the program & meal are both finished, we may notice that we failed to enjoy that tasty meal at all & we may wish we had eaten it when we were not distracted by watching the television. Because we were more interested in the program or film we were watching than in the meal we were eating, we failed to enjoy the meal. And the reason why we took greater interest in enjoying the film than in enjoying our meal was that at that time our desire for the enjoyment of the film was greater than our desire for the enjoyment of the meal.

However, if we had been really hungry before sitting down to eat that meal & watch that film, we would probably have enjoyed the meal with great relish & would therefore have hardly noticed the film we were watching. Even if the meal were not particularly tasty, if we had been really hungry we would have enjoyed it nonetheless. When we are really hungry, that is, when our desire for food is very intense, we can relish & enjoy even the most tasteless meal.

Our hunger or real desire for nourishment is the best of all condiments. The spice of real hunger will give the pleasantest taste even to the most tasteless food, & even to food that would normally taste positively unpleasant. Conversely, if the spice of real hunger is missing, we can eat even the most tasty food without particularly relishing it.

Is it not clear, therefore, that the relative degrees of Happiness that we derive from enjoying the objects of our desires are not only entirely subjective & dependent upon our relative degree of liking for those objects, but are primarily determined by the fluctuations of our Mind & of the successive waves of excitement of our desires, our anticipations & our ultimate satisfactions ?

In the midst of all this excited activity of our Mind, how do the fragments of Happiness that we experience appear ? These successive waves of our mental excitement have their peaks & their troughs. They rise to their peaks when our Mind is most agitated by its desires, & they subside to their troughs when our Mind experiences the satisfaction of anticipating or actually enjoying the objects of its desires. During the brief troughs between the successive peaks of our desires, our Mind is momentarily calm & in that calmness the Happiness that is always inherent in us is less densely obscured & therefore manifests itself more clearly.

So long as our Mind is active, it is constantly fluctuating between the peaks of its desire or dissatisfaction & the troughs of its contentment or satisfaction. Our desires & our fears, our likes & our dislikes, our cravings & our aversions, all agitate & impel the activity of our Mind to the peaks of its intensity, & such intense peaks of activity obscure our inherent Happiness & thereby make us feel dissatisfied, discontented & unhappy.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through www.jpstiga.com